


A Sense of Normalcy

by DeductionIsKey



Series: In Loco Parentis [4]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Incredible Hulk (2008), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: All Media Types
Genre: Angst & Crack, Angst with a Happy Ending, At Least Before Feb., Daredevil And Spider-Man Are A Bad First Team, Gen, Happy Holidays BTW, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Sequel Coming Soon, This is Setting Up For My Big One, Y'all Wanted A Daredevil Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 15:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13010919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeductionIsKey/pseuds/DeductionIsKey
Summary: Bruce had only meant to stay in Queens for about a month, though his finances that Tony had suspiciously grimaced at and then subtly increased, could take a lot more. He didn’t even have to do work, but he found himself almost stir crazy, the urge to get out and do something always barely tangible in the rubble of his mind.And that’s why he went to Hell’s Kitchen in the first place.





	A Sense of Normalcy

**Author's Note:**

> The Long Awaited Sequel to the Aftermath of Conflict Series! Also, ties into my other In Loco Parentis Series in case you wondered so there will be another Daredevil fic with ILP!Peter and Tony. 
> 
> Happy Holidays!  
> ~Deduction

_  
_

_It starts with the tension. Or maybe it ended that way._

-

Bruce comes back from Australia after Thor’s ‘Ragnarok’. It was hot there, scolding in a way New York could never be, with just a bit of relief weaved in to remind you what you had in the cold air of New York City. Coming back to the New York though, Bruce wasn’t reminded of what he had had. He was reminded of what he missed.

-

They said it was an argument, temporary, but still there. This wasn’t temporary. It was branded upon them all like they were cattle, shown with scowls and scars.

 

This would not go away.

-

Once Bruce realized what had been going on in New York, he’d thought long and hard about what would've happened if he’d been there.

 

He doesn’t know whose side the Hulk would take.

 

That scares him less than it should.

-

Tony’d called him, Bruce remembered. Had spoken with a tone of desperation and a bit of anger, practically yelling into the phone by the end of the conversation.

 

After the third call comes in halfway through Summer, they stop coming at all.

-

Tony had gotten a teenager to fight. Tony had gotten a _teenager to fight._

 

Well, it’s not like he was there.

-

He could feel the Hulk trying to break through, even more, these days, the barely veiled desperation he faced in the mirror every day as his eyes flash green in the most mundane of tasks.

 

Bruce doesn’t exactly know what the Hulk think he needs to be protected from, but he thinks he agrees.

-

He met Thor again while he was gone, he mentions to Tony. (That is when he finally reaches the courage to go up to his new headquarters.) Tony doesn’t have the darker circles around his eyes that were prominent last time Bruce saw him, and he wonders if that has anything to do with the teenager that seems to be fangirling in the background, a worn book of Bruce’s very own book in his grasp.

 

The teenager turns out to be Peter, who shakes his hand with more power and sweat than he’d expected. He wonders, if for a brief moment, this might be the ‘Spiderling’ Steve had mentioned on the phone, but dismisses it after a moment. In the end, it doesn’t matter.

 

As long as Tony’s eyes had that sparkle, Peter’s secret was safe enough with him.

-

 

He rents a small place on the uptown of Queens, and pretends the reason he’s still here is because he simply _so fond of NY_. Goodness knows he loves the beep of the economical poisonings at night, the shouts of not-so-cool gangs. Which seem less than what he remembers, and may have something to do with the webbed nets he finds on his window one night, even as it bubbled and dissolved, just before he could even think to examine it.

 

It seems that Queens is well protected, even by the Hulk’s standards, who grumbles every night at the sounds, but settles while Banner’s heart races. Queens is fine. Queens is safe.

 

He meant to stay in Queens for about a month, though his finances that Tony had suspiciously grimaced at and then subtly increased, could take a lot more. He didn’t even have to do work, but he found himself almost stir crazy, the urge to get out and do something always barely tangible in the rubble of his mind.

 

And that’s how why he went to Hell’s Kitchen in the first place.

-

This day had started out normal. No, really it had. But now, with the mixture of red spandex and punches, he was starting to see it wouldn’t remain that way.

 

There was a giant wombat. Attacking a gas station.

 

What?

-

It was Bedford Avenue, and really Bruce had just wanted a slushie. Instead, he got a familiar looking spider figure swiping webs at this hairy _Vombatidae_ as it growled and hissed, swiping ferociously, because apparently a wombat getting a slushie _isn’t a right._

 

Bruce thinks Wombats need some healthy protesters for their rights, but that's neither here nor there when _another_ red spandex dude shows up.

 

Did they have a club for this or something? What were they, British?

-

There isn’t a club, as Bruce soon finds out through tactful deductions and skillful thinking. Or maybe the fact that they are just so completely and utterly _not_ in sync. Spider-boy jumps, so does Horn-guy, and they smash together as the wombat suspiciously huffs out something reminiscing of a chuckle. Spider yells, Horns yells back, and the wombats sits down in an almost guidance counsellor style.

 

 _“Would you like to talk about your teamwork problems?”_ It seemed to say, clinking its head and blinking slowly as though all the fight leaked out of it.

 

Needless to say, it’d only gotten (better) worse from there, and eventually ended with a disgruntled fluff being carted away by an awe-struck animal control, and the two spandex heroes winging and webbing off as quick as they could, desperate to get away from one another, despite the ‘obvious chemistry’ the wombat had wittingly described.

 

And, also, the slushie machine was broken.

 

Hell’s Kitchen was weird.

-

The aching feeling in his chest has been getting better. Well, it wasn’t exactly there, so to say it was strictly gone or even improving, was a matter of perspective. But nevertheless, the more time he spent simply browsing the internet or even just watching Netflix, he could see a definitive improvement in the way he held himself, and even just lived.

 

It seemed Queens was the perfect place to live. Well, besides the criminals, alley cats (sometimes not even cats), gangs, narcotics and noises.

 

It was Heaven, really. At least compared to the other places he’d lived, which is why the above didn’t bother him so much. As long as his health, mental included where taken care off, that was fine.

 

Everything was fine.

-

 

He gets recognized on the street. This thought, that is, his identity being revealed, has terrifying implications, mobs, government agents, and general chaos.

 

Which is why he didn’t expect the fans. Or the interviews. Wearing green, roaring almost comically while he walks by, had first caught him by surprise. Now, he just smiles for the pictures and signs all the napkins they come up with. He likes it more then he should come to think of it.

 

Isn’t that a sight.

-

 

They want to know about Bruce Banner more then they want to know about the Hulk. This is probably what surprises him the most, the fact that headlines came out with things like ‘The Man Behind the Mask’ and ‘Banner’s Book in Stores Now’ not the Hulk.

Not the Hulk.

 

So when he sees an action figure of the Avengers with his face, glasses on his head and a book in his hand, he smiles.

 

Life is good.

**Author's Note:**

> Angst, Crack, Fluff. It's how I roll. I watched Heathers and BMC and DEH this month! Musicals are my jams. 
> 
> Also, question. Should I (for the next fic) do one with Foggy and Karen, set in season one of Daredevil, or maybe just Foggy and Matt. Or just Matt? Leave it down in the comments below what you want, and I'll have a poll this month to see which wins! 
> 
> Kudos and Comments are greatly appreciated!  
> ~Deduction


End file.
